What does your Christmas eve, Christmas day and Boxing day look like?

[VillageFete]

My Christmas eve this year will go something like this...
Up early and slope out to the hairdressers for a wash & blow (7am appointment!) Back home to wake 6 year old DD who will be delighted to see that the Christmas elves have left her a hamper filled with a Christmas book, new toothbrush, pj's, slippers, reindeer food and a sachet of snowman soup (white hot choc) with a candy cane and Christmas mug. I'll then bath her and wash her hair and get her dressed and we'll meet some family and friends at our local pub who are doing a Christmas eve festival with food, music, games etc. We'll get home around 6pm and watch Carol's from Kings (might have to record it if it's already been on) eat turkey and homemade pork and chestnut stuffing sandwiches, drink hot chocolate, sprinkle then reindeer dust, watch the snowman and then DD will go to bed. DP and I will put the presents out, have a bucks fizz, watch some festive telly and then i'll go to midnight mass.

Christmas day will look something like this...

I always get up first, I like half an hour to myself with the lights twinkling on the tree, a hazelnut latte and a box of ferrero rocher DD will come down the stairs around 7.30am/8am and the presents will all be opened. We'll have a light breakfast of pastries, fruit salad etc. I'll collect my Mum and Sister around 12pm and they are coming with us to our local for Christmas dinner. After dinner we'll visit family for a couple of hours and then PIL's are coming to us around 6.30pm for a buffet, drinks and board games. We might have a couple of friends and their kids dropping in too.

Boxing day will look something like this...

A bit of a lie in and then a full English breakfast. A lazy morning with chocolates/toys/Christmas telly and then around 4pm we're off to my Cousin's for a buffet and board games. Home for some booze and party food with DP and at that point i've probably gained a stone.

I love reading these....

Christmas Eve DH is off, he normally works Christmas Eve. So we've booked tickets early morning for a Christmas production and will take 4 yr old DS. Come back home, lazy rest of the day, I'll make the hams, we have a gingerbread house for DH to make with DS. Around 430 we'll all go for a walk to look at Christmas lights and when we get back there'll be a hamper in the porch from the elves. Dinner of ham with salad and picky bits then bath, new PJs, Christmas film and hot choc. Leave some bits out for FC the. DS to bed then some festive TV and bed for us.

Christmas Day we'll get up around 7. I make muffins for breakfast and whilst those are baking we'll open pressies and stocking. Then get washed and dressed, pile into car and drive to MILS for lunch, more pressies, board games, chaos, arguments, etc etc. No booze for me as I'm pregnant so I'll drive home about ten ish.

Boxing Day we'll be up about seven, potter about putting together a buffet of ham, cheese, nice bread, pickles, pies etc etc before DM, DF, my aunt and uncle and grandad and his girlfriend and DB descend. We'll pick at that all day, open more pressies, board games, telly, noise, chaos, then snoozing in front of telly with the chocolates.

The 27th we will spend just the three of us, playing with new toys, reading, telly and finishing up all the lovely food! I can't wait!

Normally it would look like this:
Christmas Eve:
Pottering about, perhaps ice skating or cinema. Long dog walk with hot chocolate and mince pies at some point. My DP's will arrive late at some point and we will eat dinner then pop to the pub. We will all wear Christmas jumpers and/or hats, DDogs1&2 will wear their Christmas bandanas and DDog3 will wear her reindeer suit
Home about 10pm so DS can get to bed. Grown ups will have Baileys and chat but will be in bed by 11ish.

Christmas Day is up to open stockings. We all meet in the sitting room by the fire and eat bacon sandwiches and drink Buck's Fizz. Dogs are then walked while we clear up and get changed ready for church at 11. After church we meet friends in the pub then home to open main presents while dinner cooks. We normally eat about 4pm then loaf about for the rest of the evening eating chocolates and watching crap on tv.

Boxing Day is shoot day so we are out the house early which is a good way to blow away any lingering cobwebs. DS will normally stay with my DP's and they will take him to the sales or bowling etc. We normally regroup at about 3pm for more drinks and an early dinner. We will then play games or watch tv till bedtime.

This year we are going to my DP's instead so it will all be very different. I'm trying valiantly to embrace the change as they will be great hosts but, deep down I am a wee bit sad for the change

Christmas Eve: Mornign spent cleaning the house and putting toys away and getting the lounge sorted. Afternoon spent at sil. Come home to find the elves have been. So takeaway, baths, film bed. Feed baby. DH going to work then ill be going to sleep. Set alarm for 4am. Get presents out from hiding place and put them out for the kids. Go back to sleep. (bathroom is downstairs through the lounge)

Christmas Day: Get up, open presents when Daddy is still concious. He goes to bed. Have breakfast, get dressed, go see mil. Then go to other sil for the day. come home. Harrass Daddy till he goes to work. Bed

Boxing day: Get up. Make Daddy go to bed as its the end of his run of nights. breakfast. play with toys. lunch. Get daddy out of bed. Head back to other sil as its my nieces birthday. Spend evening getting pissed. Leave DH in charge of 3 children.

Previous Christmasses have looked like this:

Christmas Eve: PANIC
Christmas Day: Lovely and lazy morning with dc and presents, followed by major PANIC in the kitchen, followed by falling asleep around 9pm probably smelling of turkey and lard, even though I haven't bought lard in my life.
Boxing Day: look in the fridge to see what to feed everyone and then PANIC.

This year will look something like me putting my feet up and drinking prossecco while someone else does all the cooking.

btw how do I put a santa hat on my smileys?

You add f before smile .

This year I will be working on Christmas Eve morning, then spending the afternoon with my dad. On Christmas Day SIL will pick us up and take us to MIL's for presents and food, then she will take us home. On Boxing Day my parents will come over for lunch and more presents.

Thank you PjDay. I'm having a pj day myself today.

Christmas Eve- we are all 3 of us at home this year so a morning of tidying, last minute preparations and errands.
I think lunch out somewhere, maybe our local garden centre where DS can choose a bauble. Christingle at church in the afternoon, either 3 or 4pm, hopefully 3. Then home for tea, probably ham in ginger with either dauphinoise and veg or chips, beans and eggs. Open fizz, open hamper witha short kids film, new PJs etc. Do bath and then Santa, new story book and bed.
DH and I to follow shortly after!
Christmas Day- DS will be excited so probably up early. Stockings for all of us on our bed. Downstairs for more presents. Break off for breakfast- maybe pain au chocolat. Baths and getting ready. MIL and my parents to arrive 11ish. More presents, champagne. Lunch will be smoked salmon based at noon.
More presents and playing with stuff. Dinner at maybe 4pm- not sure what might do roast beef and Yorkshire pud.
More playing then pudding when we have space. We don't have Xmas pud on the day, too full so something else, trifle or ice cream.
DGP leave around 7 so we can put DS to bed and watch Christmas tv.
Boxing Day- stockings from my mum. Eat a lot, stay in PJs all day, watch films, play with new toys and tidy the house. Food is picky bits and lots of cheese.

Christmas Eve....make cookies for Santa, bundle up for walk round local lights display, home for hot chocolate, snuggle up for Christmas movies, final wrapping when kids are in bed.

Christmas Day....typically my parents come over in the am. We unwrap stockings and gifts, breakfast - last year bagels and lox, fresh blueberry muffins with butter, hot chocolate. Board games, meal prep, playing with/putting together toys, goody snacking. My SIL joins us for Turkey dinner and a version of her nans apple oval.

Boxing Day....pjs all day, playing with toys, board games, lounging with leftover treats - Yummy, lazy, day of bliss.

Xmas eve is DH birthday. So we have presents with DD then she goes nursery for the morning and me and DH go out for cooked breakfast. Get DD and go for a dog walk. While we've been out n about a ham will have been cooking in the slow cooker so I finish it in the oven with a glaze when we get back. Then DVDS and if anyone's coming round to see DH for his birthday or dropping presents off for DD they can help themselves to ham and crusty bread, chutney and crisps etc.

Xmas day. Touch wood so far it's never been an early start. Me and DH do a stocking of small tokens to each other so open these in bed. Get DD, have breakfast of bacon butties (just incase we don't eat enough pork over the period) and naice coffee. Let DD open her presents. Have a play. Then go out and walk the dog in the park and we take a flask of hot orange and amaretto to have a sip of while were out. Get back and start making dinner. It's very much ready when it's ready. No rush. Nice and leisurely. Have Xmas dinner/tea. Let DD play while we wash up. Then when Dd goes to bed we watch telly and finish off the wine we've opened at dinner

Boxing Day I do a local 10k which is such a fun event. DD and DH have come to watch in the past and walked the dog while I've been running. DD and DH go and drop the dog off while I go my mums for a bath (cos we don't have one) DD and DH then come back to my mums and we have what we now call Xmas 2 with mum, her partner and my sister. My sister saves my daughters Xmas present to open with her and my mum has usually done her a small gift bag of little bits and bobs. We have a roast beef dinner then small picky tea. We go home feeling VERY full

Christmas Eve we always make mince pies, this year ds2 has a hospital appt in the afternoon but we will work round that !

Christmas Day dcs get up about 730am open stockings upstairs and dh brings up tea/coffee for us. Then we go downstairs and scan open presents. Dh always cooks so starts preparing lunch shortly after
Rest of day is toys/TV/ chocolate etc
Always have buffet style food in the evening which dcs love as they get to set and decorate the table and pick whatever they want to eat

Boxing Day we do another roast and stay at home toys/TV/chocolate etc again !

START OPENING (scan open?)

Our Christmases have changed each year as our family set up has grown and altered.
This year will look something like this:

Christmas Eve: DH is off to work about 5am and DD1 (aged 3) is going to nursery for the morning. We're charged for the session whether we use it or not, and those few hours will be valuable to me! I'll scoot around the house, tidy up, prepare the vegetables for tomorrow's lunch, then go and collect DD1 before lunch. I'll grab her a Happy Meal on the way home. Then we'll bake! Mince pies, cinnamon swirls and meringue snowmen. Then it's off to meet my parents at church. After church DH will be at home and we'll have pizza for dinner. Bath for the girls, put out a snack and drink for father Christmas, and the girls will exchange presents (well, sort of! The baby is only seven months!) They each have new pyjamas to wear that night. Once they're in bed, DH and I will set out the presents, watch tv and eat Quality Street!

Christmas Day: awake whenever the girls decide it's time. Probably around 6am. Stockings in mummy and daddy's bed, then downstairs for bacon rolls and presents! Chill out, play, watch tv before it's time to cook lunch and eat around 1:30ish. Then snacky foody treats in the evening. Girls to bed as usual hopefully.

Boxing Day: DH will drop the girls and me at my mum's, then he's off to the football with his brother. He'll meet us at my parents' after the match. We'll eat, see my sister and her husband and son, more presents, more TV...very relaxed and fun.

I also love reading through all of these

Christmas Eve: Get up and have a mooch around the house/little potter/bath DS/brunch. We've got tickets booked to The Snowman in London around lunchtime, so we'll go up there and then be home for about 2pm to find the Elves have left a hamper for all of us containing new pyjamas, hot chocolate with marshmallows, posh popcorn and reindeer food. While he has a little investigate of that, I'll pop round the NDN's (x2) and drop them a bottle of prosecco each. It's also another good friend's birthday, so I'll make sure I drop his present in and wish him many happy returns of the day, plus their Christmas presents for the following day. Home, and into our little tradition of Mexi-Christmas-Eve. Which is a Mexican themed night. I don't know, DH started it, I guess you had to be there Heaps of Mexican food cooked by DH, and raspberry margaritas.
After dinner, we'll change into new pyjamas, sprinkle the reindeer food, leave FC's food and drink, watch The Snowman (because it's the actual law) and put DS to bed. We'll be in bed for about 10:30 I expect.

Christmas Day: Get up about 7, put breakfast things out (midlander GP's passed down tradition of pork pie, cheese, crackers, pickles etc), fix hair and face quickly for photos and then get DS up. Open presents with Christmas MTV on in the background. Eat breakfast, shower, change and mill around drinking prosecco before meeting up with friends at local pub for lunch. Home, chill and play board games/facetime family. Light buffet about 6pm, drinks and feelgood movies.

Boxing Day: Nice lie in and get up about 9am. Light breakfast with cinnamon buns, fruit salad and coffee. Walk in the park with DS on his scooter to blow away the cobwebs. Home for buffet table left out all afternoon evening for purposes of continual grazing and refreshment. Mum coming up and should be here about midday, so lots of drinking, chatting and more opening of presents. Let the afternoon stretch into the evening and help DS set up his new toys, drink and eat and play silly games.

Christmas eve I usually take the dc out to eat in a pub that has a softplay to wear them out with friends and their dc.
Then when we come home to find our fairy has left them new pyjamas and we sort out the baileys and mince pie for father Christmas and a carrot.

They go to bed and I wrap the last minute presents with a glass of baileys and put put the presents and wrap the living room door up in wrapping paper. Do the stocking dump and run and go to bed.

Dc wake me up and open their stockings in my bed and we get up to open up the doorway.

We spend the morning opening presents. They have a secret room in the school Christmas fayre where they can buy me a present and I also give them a tenner each in boots for them to choose me more presents so I have stuff to open to. We have croissants and brioche rolls for breakfast and other goodies from the bakery to.

Get dressed in nice clothes and go to my dms. More presents and a nice dinner. Sometimes we spend the night there so I can have a few drinks.

Boxing day we go to my aunts where my nan spends Christmas to have a buffet and more presents.

We are spending a week in a cottage in a little Yorkshire village this year - just me, DH and the DC. We did it a couple of years ago and it was absolute bliss for four frazzled Londoners.

Christmas Eve we'll go for a big walk across the Dales, stop off at a couple of really lovely shops in the village on the way back (the most amazing cheese shop! DH and I were in heaven ), then go for a late lunch in the village pub. Then back to get cosy at the cottage .

DH usually bathes the DC while I listen to Carols from Kings and faff around and phone my mum and sister endlessly , then we'll tuck the DC in to bed and go to bed reasonably early (thats the plan anyway...), then DH and I will have a drink and watch a film and possibly make sweet luuuuurve . We usually do loads of wrapping on Christmas Eve, but am determined to have all that done way ahead this year.

Christmas morning we'll open presents, laze around by the fire drinking tea, then have a light breakfast. The last time we were there, we showered and changed back into clean PJs and just lounged around all day. It was wonderful. This year we might attempt a drink in the pub before Christmas dinner. I'm just doing roast chicken his year, so no epic turkey palaver.
Rest of the day is bog standard I suppose - we play board games, dance to Christmas music, the kids play with their toys, DH and I slob on the sofa, drink bubbly and snog when the kids aren't looking . We always have a cheeseboard once the DC have gone to bed and watch a film.

Boxing day we will definitely go for another big walk and a drink in the pub and then east on leftovers. Last year we had a family karaoke session which must have killed a few cats .

Last year we did this:

Xmas eve - Morning at home making gingerbread houses. In the afternoon we went round to a friend's for a late lunch and then walked down to the advent beach hut for mulled wine and mince pies. We timed the walk to coincide with the International Space Station flying over. The dc loved chasing Father Christmas along the seafront! Then when we got home the dc found their hamper with xmas pjs, stockings, xmas film etc. Evening in front of the telly :)

Xmas day - Opened stockings in our bed, croissants for breakfast and then to church. Straight after church it was a 2.5hr drive to PIL house where we opened present under the tree and had Xmas dinner with family.

Boxing day - I can't remember! Probably lazed around the house. Maybe went for a walk to feed the ducks or something...

Xmas eve we prep and part cook the veg and make the stuffing (not meat based). I usually get a manicure, and then we all get new PJs and a DVD to watch.

Xmas day is whenever the kids wake up, stockings in our bedroom then breakfast and then presents. Traditional Turkey lunch and then leftovers for tea.

These sound lovely. I'm away in Hong Kong this year with DP. The plans are as follows.
Xmas eve- a trip to the zoo, some sightseeing and shopping, dinner somewhere nice in Causeway Bay. We are thinking about possibly booking tickets for the ballet in the morning too but haven't decided yet.
Xmas day- breakfast at our hotel and exchange a couple of small gifts. Spend the day at Disneyland. See all the shows, parades and fireworks and have afternoon tea and dinner there. (We're also going on the 23rd to do the rides). Back to the hotel in the evening to Skype with family.

Boxing Day- visit a Buddhist temple and a nunnery in the morning, science and history museums in the afternoon and a night market in the evening.

Christmas Eve
Nice chilled family day, ride horses, walk dogs. Start baking gingerbread house with SILs. Evening get bundled up and go and see Santa drive through the village then home to construct house with help from my good friend proseco.

Now it gets scary, Christmas Day
Wake up about 6am (often earlier, DS is only 18mo but me and DH are total kids) unwrap stockings in bed then go downstairs to open our presents. Go out and do the horses, go and see PILs and open presents there, leave at 11, get in the car drive an hour to see my parents and brothers and sister to open presents there, drive 10mins for lunch at granny's served at 2, spend the rest of the day there then drive home about 6. Call in to see PIL because we've spent hardly any time there then home about 9.

Boxing Day
Ride the horses then drive back down for leftovers and family dog walk.

Spend the next month recovering

Boxing Day: we're hosting the annual Christmas Eve onesie party ( we're classy us ). So in the morning we'll prepare for that and maybe watch a Christmas film. Then DS (6) will open his Christmas Eve present (from us not any elves etc) which will be a minions onesie (for the party) and a lush bath bomb which he'll use straight away and get into his onesie for the party. Family will arrive for the party at about 5 and it'll be fun craziness til about 9. We'll have a buffet and kid's party games.

When everyone has gone, we'll put out a mince pie etc for Santa, then DS will go to bed and we'll sort out the presents and chill.

Christmas Day: me and dh will wake up super early and wonder why DS isn't doing the same . When he does wake up, DS will open his presents from Santa, then we'll do presents from under the tree.

We always go to my sil's house (pil will be there too) for breakfast and to exchange presents for the children.

We'll come home about 12/1 and DS will play with his presents for a bit. We don't have Christmas dinner til about 6 as we're too full but we'll have some snacky bits mid afternoon. Christmas dinner will just be the 3 of us.

After that it'll be ds's bed time really so me and dh will just watch Christmas tv tbh.

Boxing Day: we'll want to get out and do something. Maybe dh and DS will go out on their motorbikes. Then we have my family coming over for tea, which will be jacket potatoes and lots of fillings plus leftovers and some nice puddings. Then we'll have the annual family Christmas quiz then, when everyone leaves, collapse into bed!

I too love reading these... [santa]

Christmas Eve- It's tradition to spend with my parents, sibling and grandparents for hot meat sandwiches... so we arrive around mid morning, have sandwiches, hot sausage rolls and sausages following by my favourite dessert of trifle

Then me and DH will travel home, put a Christmas special on (last year it was Gavin and Stacey, this year I've bought a friends Christmas DVD), we'll possibly have more sandwiches /mini buffet and I will eat my way through my second or possibly third tin of quality street of the festive season . We may have a bath together depending on if DH (grown up) son hangs around he comes every year and to be honest whether it's Christmas or not is like a year on our own but DH hasn't got the balls to suggest this to him - I'm waiting to find out who he suggests he wants to have dinner with this year

Christmas Day- I wake up at the crack of dawn. Go downstairs and make a lovely cup of tea which teases DH out of bed and downstairs to open presents. We don't have any breakfast as there's always a mountain of food at my parents to get through. We get ready and visit DH's daughter and her children to give them their presents, spend say 45 minutes there then it's off to my parents. We arrive about 11.30 ish, they usually haven't opened their presents from us (even though we leave them Christmas Eve) so they open their presents, we are also given chocolates from my nan. We will have a 3 course lunch (usually pate, turkey and all the trimmings and Christmas pudding) around 1.30-2.00. I love lingering around the table playing games so I always buy a new board game or two to take (last year it was the chase this year it's gogglebox).

We will perhaps watch a comedy dvd or play another game before tea (mostly bingo so my elderly grandparent can join in). My mom will either do a huge buffet or if we're all still full from her delicious lunch and the tonne of chocolates we've consumed just turkey sandwiches before settling down to watch the soaps and Downton Abbey. Depending how we feel we will either stay over or drive home.

Boxing Day - we will usually have a lie in or get up early and head for a local coffee shop for tiffin and hot chocolate and marshmallows because clearly we haven't consumed enough calories yet then we'llhead back over to my parents for a buffet lunch then an afternoon at the cinema watching whatever the new release is.

Normally it's back to work on 27th, but this year the way the holidays have fallen we're not back until 29th giving up a couple of extra days to relax at home [santa]

Oh I can't wait!!!

Absolutely love reading these!

Christmas eve: Get up early, have a nice breakfast, pancakes probably. Then dh and the boys head off out for a walk, or swimming if the weather is bad, while I prep as much food as possible, and get the table ready, quick tidy etc. They get home, and we head out to the village for lunch in the cafe. Home again, and we watch the Muppets Christmas Carol (after all, there's only one more sleep till Christmas!)
Showers and dressed for a big family party around 5. Stay there till 8, then home, mince pie and coke out for Santa, track him on NORAD, then read the night before Christmas and the grinch. Bed for the boys, and dh and I watch a film before bed.

Christmas day: up, presents, cereal for breakfast (the fancy sugary kind I never buy), dressed, in laws call around 10am, I do pastries, fruit salad, cocktail sausages, toast, juice, nice coffee. Presents and fun with them, they leave around 12. My mum and sister arrive around 1.30 and all hands on deck for dinner prep as we have 12 for dinner. Everyone arrives around 2.30, sit down to dinner whenever it's ready, and party time until I kick every one out at 7. dh puts the kids to bed while I clear up as much as possible and then we both flop down with the Christmas telly!

Boxing day: I do nothing. We sometimes go for a walk, but that's about as strenuous as it gets. Everyone fends for themselves with food, and I heat up leftovers for dinner. It's my favourite bit, all the yum of the Christmas dinner, but I get to really enjoy it! The whole day is wonderful, cosy tv, great food, boys playing happily.

Cannot wait. Best time of the year!

This is making me want to wail, Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the year but this year I'm working 0800-2100 and DH is on a night shift so neither of us will be there to put DD to bed and read her 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. My parents will be coming up to have DD for the day instead and I'll be leaving the Christmas Eve box from the elves on the doorstep on my way to work for her to find when she gets up.

Christmas Day will be stockings on our bed then downstairs for DDs Santa presents. Then it's breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for me and DM, bacon and scallops for DF and croissants for DH and DD. I'll prep for dinner with DH after that and the rest of us will go to Mass leaving him with the cooking for a bit. Then I'll come back and take over and DH and DF will go to the pub while I finish it. Then it's dinner and family presents after that. We'll probably play games after that and then a supper of cheese and chocolate before a film and bed.

Boxing Day will be a long dog walk with a prolonged game of hide and seek for DD. Back for a film and playing with toys and then cold meat, chips and pickles for a late lunch.

[santa][santa]

Christmas eve - sometimes DH is working, sometimes he has half day, sometimes they give them the day off. We have a lie in, do some baking and then go for a trip into Chester, to mooch in the shops and to walk by the river. Then home for a cooked dinner (which will leave leftovers) and to make anyhing that we are taking on Christmas day. Sometimes DH likes us to stay awake til midnight and open our gifts to each other then, but I've been trying to change that tradition so we can open our gifts when the girls have their.

Christmas day - up about 8 or 9 now the kids are older. Stockings are usually brought through and opened on our bed (this spontaneously happened and isn't a tradition, but always seems to happen.) I may have to boot rouse DD age 14 from her bed if she's lying in.

Christmas lights go on, then there's a breakfast of pastries or bacon butties and gifts are exchanged. Hopefully the tree will survive a new kitten this year.
THen we go round to my Mum's and have Christmas dinner with the trimmings. This is going to be the first Christmas without Dad, so it will be a happy time tinged with sadness.

We exchange gifts after lunch, then usually pop home for a recharge and a cup of tea before going out again in the evening.

The three sisters take it in turns to host CHristmas dinner and it's always a buffet.

Boxing day is quiet. We have nowhere we need to be, so no alarms and big lie ins feature. Then we read or watch or play with whatever gifts were received. Leftovers are the name of the day, hence baking on Christmas eve on years that we aren't hosting Christmas dinner.

DD's Mum goes away for Christmas, so we see her on the 27th when she returns - with about a million gifts for everyone!